2021 is an important year for the gaming industry with unprecedented growth, new technologies, and the first year of fast-growing next-gen consoles. This year has also been dominated by some of the best pockets in the industry, with some of the best studios, publishers and intellectual property among brands. This acquisition revolutionized the gaming industry. This is more than just a rumor about a new mega deal that raises billions of dollars to own a famous studio. During 2021 - and only in the first month of 2022 - major deals were halted, making this an exciting time to become a fan of the gambling industry. If you're looking for a quick look at how much has changed in recent years, we've put together a quick timeline of major events that have taken place over the past year.
Twenty years ago, the idea of Microsoft getting into games was unheard of. Today, however, the Xbox segment is an important part of Microsoft's identity and is a sector in which the company has invested heavily over the years. Microsoft, not accustomed to studio acquisitions, has added and a few other studios, such as Minecraft creator Double Fine, to its portfolio to give a serious boost to exclusive Xbox game development.
In 2020, Microsoft came out guns blazing with its next round of acquisitions, as it bought Media, the parent company of famed video game publisher powerhouse Bethesda. By March 2021, that $7.5 billion deal was officially complete, and Microsoft now had some of the finest IPs working under the Xbox Game Studios brand. While Bethesda's various games and studios were no doubt valuable assets, cloud gaming technology shouldn't be overlooked.
Originally revealed at E3 2019, Bethesda said at the time that the patented cloud streaming SDK known as Orion would allow games to run at "max settings" with minimal bandwidth usage. Combine that technology with Microsoft's push to make Xbox an experience that's playable on mobile devices through its own cloud gaming initiative, and the purchase made that much more sense. Microsoft didn't just gain a rich library of IPs to add to its console and popular Xbox Game Pass service; it acquired the technology to one day make those titles accessible on more than just consoles and PC.
The last generation of gaming is one where Sony operated in peak form thanks to its first-party studios. A few years into the life-cycle of the PS4, a PlayStation Studios-branded game carried an air of quality and prestige that elevated it above its competition. That ethos has remained steady in the first year of the PS5 era, but it's now a part of a more ambitious strategy by a company that has largely focused on quality single-player experiences.
In Europe, we recently acquired the Group. The Swedish video game holding, led by Lars Vingefors, has eight groups of dozens of exclusive studios and a number of subsidiaries, making it stand out in the gaming industry. Each group has its own operating, subsidiaries and development studios. One of the most notable acquisitions is Gearbox Software, which launched in early 2021. The studio is best known for the Borderlands series and many other popular series.
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